The Texarkana area offers an impressive variety of restaurants to feed a rainbow of foodie appetites, and local soul food fans now have more to sink their teeth into.
Johnny Carey, half of the husband-and-wife team that owns Carey's Country Cooking, considered carefully what sort of food they wanted to cook and where they wanted to cook it.
"There isn't too much competition in the soul food field," Johnny said. "And over here in Wake Village, we aren't close to the ones that are located in the area. It is all about location."
Carey's Country Cooking is brand new, only serving customers the past couple of weeks.
"We haven't even had our grand opening yet," Johnny said.
Customers driving up to the restaurant on the Wake Village traffic circle immediately see a cook working a barbecue grill outside, preparing meats to serve in the restaurant. Inside, servers are filling plates with hot meats, steaming vegetables and freshly made breads.
Becky Carey has experience as a children's nutritionist at Texarkana Independent School District, and she knows about satisfying a line of hungry customers.
"It is all about making it with love, caring about what you are serving them," she said. "You want them to enjoy the taste of what you are offering, and you want to make sure they are satisfied. Customer service is key."
Johnny has been in business in Texarkana for 20 years, operating Carey's Tree Service. When it came time for a change, he went to a higher source for advice.
"We prayed about it, seeking what the next move was going to be. This seemed to be where He was leading," Johnny said.
They didn't do it alone. The restaurant is staffed with family and people they knew.
"Providing good jobs and service is a key part of what we are doing here," Becky said. "Great-tasting soul food, good jobs for our people and being a part of our community is what we want to do here."
Most restaurants have signature dishes, and Carey's is no exception.
"It is the turkey legs-all in the seasoning and preparation," Johnny said.
"We had a lady come in for a large order of them for a birthday party," Becky said.
Running a restaurant is a team effort, and cook Lavert King said it isn't just about sharing labor.
"We work together and bounce ideas off each other," he said. "We shore each other up and combine knowledge. It is all about teamwork."
Carey's Country Cooking, at 607 Redwater Road in Wake Village, is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. They also deliver.
For more information, call 903-691-5933.